Monday, July 16, 2012

Prologue:My readers know that I am completely and irreversibly dedicated to LENR. I want LENR to be understood and to be used as a significant energy source. For more than 23 long years, when asked about Cold Fusion/LENR, Nature has given us inaudible and incomprehensible answers therefore the field is a cognitive catastrophe. However, its actual chances to be used as an energy source were even worse- due to low intensity, high unreliability and constant ephemerity of the heat effects.
I will never dare to tell openly that, technologically, the Pd-D electrochemical system is a triple-dead horse or that ‘pure’ nanometric systems exhibit too low energy intensity, but I am patiently waiting for somebody to demonstrate the contrary.
Andrea Rossi’s announcements of his invention changed this. The situation became hopeful even though Rossi’s development is too slow, unsure, and tortuous.
However, this time LENR was lucky by the advent of Defkalion Green Technology, a ‘fast’ company with excellent problem solving abilities for engineering, technology, management and business strategy (see: http://egooutpeters.blogspot.ro/2012/06/interview-with-defkalion-i-business.html). Even on a scientific level, Defkalion will have a lot to offer the community, providing a platform for further theoretical approaches to be developed in the near future.
My relationship with DGTG can be characterized as “empathy from the first e-mail” and they understood my deep sorrow of the unsolved LENR mystery and its delay as an energy source.
They already answered my questions regarding their business strategy and future plans. They also generously helped me to understand the soul and essence of their technology- marching toward commercialization.

Intermezzo:
I have to confess here that I am lacking a quality that contributes a lot to the invincible charm of the young girls: naiveté. Hence, this total absence of naiveté- helps me to:
a) Understand the difficulty, problems, obstacles, traps, bad surprises of the development work done by DGTG
b) Avoid the unanswerable questions as the nature of their variant of the so called catalyst or pixie dust or even to the extent of their partners and associates
c) Accept that this help is a step-by-step process
d) Be honored, happy and grateful due to this privileged collaboration
e) Use all my residual grey cells to contribute to the understanding of their technology

The Source: Beyond online interviews, I had extensive discussions and e-mail exchanges with Defkalion’s CEO Alex Xanthoulis, CBO Symeon Tsalikoglou and of course their CTO John Hadjichristos. I have also read some internal reports and lab log data sheets. All of which provided me with this first level understanding.

The problem re-defined:
It is the first time in LENR history that we have a reliable process at a scale sufficient to analyze the product of the LENR reactions (see http://www.defkalion-energy.com/files/2012-06-9_Defkalion%20Status%20Update.pdf)
Additional tests analyzed by X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy and inductively coupled mass spectrometry and other methods allow us to KNOW what happens!
These analyses will show if Defkalion’s technology is somewhat similar to the best currently known LENR technology- Piantelli is based, as we know, on nanostructured Ni, deep degassing and special triggering methods- or not.

Short and somewhat lacunary description of Defkalion’s Technology:
For the time being, we still do not have the best proportion of the data, information, knowledge and wisdom (understanding) of Defkalion’s process; but this will soon change.
Defkalion technology uses Ni powder, seemingly normal micrometric probably treated in some way prior of use, proprietary additives and an original triggering method. They consider that 4 out of the 5 isotopes of Nickel are participating in the process.
Actually there are 3 main domains of working inner temperatures, typically low (185 C), medium (300 C) and high (550C). There have been indications as discussed about even higher temperatures reaching well over 650C, although it seems that too high temperatures generate some problems with material failures or runaways.
There is great room for future developments and applications. The open problem is if the reaction mechanisms do change in this broad range of temperatures.
Pressurized Hydrogen, up to 5 bars, is used as reactant and the essential clue is to separate molecular Hydrogen (inactive!) in atomic Hydrogen by using electric energy.
The reaction chamber is made of stainless steel 316 and the walls are surrounded by flow channels. Defkalion uses organic heat transfer agents.
It is important to understand their definition that the process is a dynamic system of the multi-stage set of reactions.
In the same time I hope that you will realize the idea that LENR Science knows one barrier (Coulomb’s) while LENR Technology knows more barriers. This is where you will appreciate the efforts and creativity of our Greek colleagues.
Prior to triggering (or part of it) Ni has to be heated up to 500 C in the case of the high temperature process. Triggering per se is a process in three stages:

Stage 1: Separate H2 in H (diatomic to monoatomic) - this is an endothermic process;
Stage II: Force Stage I some way the hydrogen atom in a more neutral form, similar to a virtual neutron able to penetrate the Coulomb Barrier;
Stage III: The Ni-H reaction of transmutation generates gamma radiation that is thermalized in infrared photons- heat- by the mechanism described by the Widom-Larsen theory- see the papers and the patent US 7,893, 414.

Personal note:
The entire process looks very much like Widom_Larsen but with additional points. I have discussed this subject thoroughly with the DGTG friends- as the results of the spectral and chemical analyses will come in. This is not a reason for despair for LENR theorists because Defkalion’s LENR process actually has differences that will be discussed later.

Continuing: In actual practice the initial heating to the necessary start temperature, say 300 to 500 C is performed with a tungsten heater, than Stage I is attained by firing a special spark-plug working at a high voltage and some proprietary optimal frequency.
Once Stage I is finished no more heating is necessary (this was different at Rossi!). During Stage II the frequency of firing of the sparkplugs determines the heat level. The energy consumed by one sparking is rather low- say 1.2 J.
If the reaction has started and Hydrogen is not leaking out, the reaction will be sustained for months; there had been some tests with the duration of 4-5 months and others are in work.
The reaction through this multi stage dynamic process can be easily controlled (stopped) through the control of the excitement of the Hydrogen itself.

Radiation measurements:The experimental situation is excellent: no dangerous radiation!
However, there is some radiation emitted. I have seen a lot of measurements performed both with NaI spectrometer and Geiger Muller counter and all confirm that a somewhat higher level appears only at triggering. The gammas have a relatively low energy, 50-300 keV. The maximum levels are under those internationally admissible. Is this a proof that the W-L mechanism (gammas converted to IR photons - is true and at work? We will see it soon.

Other data:The development of this technology is kind of a discovery process. Prior experience and transfer of know-how from neighboring technologies is of very limited use. There were some sporadic runaway experiments. Defkalion’s engineers have learned how to better control the reaction- a very steep learning curve.
Defkalion collaborates with leading companies and international entities where both controls, methodologies, machinery and know-how have provided them with invaluable and time saving advantages. The essence of collaboration for Defkalion is key and their fast progress shows this.
In my next writing about Defkalion, I will tell about heat generation- both bare reactor tests and calorimetric measurements. As told, the thermal power of the reactors is controlled basically by the firing rate of the sparkplugs’ firing rate and the frequency of these.

Conclusions:For the first time in LENR history, thanks also to Defkalion’s contributions and progress, we are on the way to understanding the Know-What, the Know-How and even the Know-Why of this viable, powerful energy source.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

This one I dedicate to my sister. I wonder if she will be able to recognise herself in what is written here (a little from our grandparents, a little from our parents, a little part of me as I am travelling around the world and smiling to the new places I see, always thinking of my home...). She is one of the only people I know who overcame all the crises in her life, with three of the most powerfull weapons, which she inherited from our ancestors: love, hope and strong will.

Motto: What we are is God's gift to us, what we become is our gift to God – Eleanor Powell

In order to restart my dialogue with you, I need to take you back almost a year ago, to a late summer day when I started to write about my understanding of basic roots of current global crisis. I have written altogether seven roots and have still a long waiting list set aside for other triggers of the current mess. The first writings came quite close to each other and rather critical with our world, our priorities, our bad habits and overall ourselves - as human and faulty, as beautiful and crazy, as talented and rotten as we are. As guilty for our current troubles and as hopeless for a better future as we seem right now.

Gradually, my need to explore and uncover the dark side of us started to faint away. Lately I haven’t actually been writing much. I could of course blame this on the intensive travelling, busy hours - working late and still getting almost nowhere with my work. There are days when I wonder why I run so fast, why I spend so much energy and time to get somewhere and … where do I actually want to get?... I remember reading some words of wisdom few years ago and how this message seemed really abstract to me: ‘All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.’ (James Thurber)

Yesterday I got the very distinctive feeling that I am coming close to some tentative answers to the first part, respectively the ‘running from’ part. I would still need to determine the second and third, however I also realized this is actually not only difficult, but also volatile. I remember my grandmother saying that her sleeping time got shorter and shorter the older she got (and I can assure you it did not affect in any way her high energy levels). She always ended up saying ‘I will sleep long enough when I’m gone’. I know it’s a common saying for many old people, but still it touched me. For me, finding the answers to the three questions about our running through life is almost a similar exercise with the sleeping one. Once we will get all those three answers we will probably stop running and just go to the long sleep...

Last month I went out with some friends on a wine tasting trip on a Saturday. We left the town early in the morning and returned late at night. We experienced extreme heat and witnessed drought conditions during the day, specifically integrated by one of our hosts into the story he told us about the vineyard, the workers, the plants and their self-protective approach to survival in difficult weather condition. He also told us how the grapes and then the wine have everything to do with the passion for work and a sense of mutual respect, understanding and loving communion - between people and nature. It may sound silly and outdated for current world, however the age of the vineyard and the passion of the guy were convincing enough to make me feel part of something that will last - longer than our global crisis, local political conflicts or cultural prejudices. I mention culture as he was not originally from that region, but has travelled from another country and has chosen that land and those people to stay, build, love and enjoy the fruits of their work together.

After the intensive heat during the day, an incredibly heavy rain came down in the evening, on our way back. The minibus actually slowed down close to stopping, the road seemed to be passing straight through the heart of a cascade for a while, and lightning and thunder surrounded us, while we passed by two gas stations that were out of service – electrical power failure. Finally we arrived back in town, where it was again dry and hot, no rain and no wind at all. Hot night followed.

The next day (a quiet Sunday) I went to visit a part of my family somewhere close to the mountains – quiet and not so hot, rainy but not so heavy… I am not sure how we got to that point, but my cousin started talking about our grandfather. I always knew he was an orphan, but I never asked my mother about details, somehow I presumed he was born without a family, as this was my definition of ‘orphan’ as I was growing up. I just learned on that Sunday that actually ‘orphan’ meant that he arrived in Romania (in the area where he would later meet my grandmother) after both his parents were killed in the war and he crossed the war line (coming from the Russian territory). He came all by himself to the village as he had an aunt there, who took him in her household. He was a teenager at that time.

Then I also thought of my grandmother. How she defied the rules of her time and refused to enter an arranged marriage, how she dreamt about getting married to a ‘town boy’ instead of a village land owner (mostly vineyards in that area…) and how she waited until she got her dream, even thou the family was quite outraged (she was the older sister and there were rules…). She also survived a war experience with hostile soldiers chasing her down in the mountains, which she escaped but with serious physical and mental shock. Yet I always remember her beautiful laughter and positive energy – she never compromised on optimism, even her favorite cursing exercises made us laugh our heads off…

Those two simple people had four kids and lived long, healthy and happy lives obeying by a basic honorable principle: being poor while affording to get whatever they reasonably wished for. All four kids were sent to school up to university, they were always respected and helping others within the community.

My mother also had learned quickly to walk her own way. An early marriage was followed by divorce because she refused to accept an abusive husband, no matter how dramatic the implications of her decision seemed to be (including life threats from a lawyer with a gun permit…). She wanted a family and especially kids and she finally had all that – even thou quite late in her life. She was always opened and truthful even thou it wasn’t the safest way to approach career in a communist country… she was a teacher and a mother, purely refusing to compromise on what she believed was important, and thus she has educated generations of good people. She was always proud when a former pupil recognized her in the street and stopped to tell her how his or her adult life has shaped out. She was as generous with her heart and with her material possessions as anyone can be. She used to tell us girls that it is better to lend than to borrow, but be careful to whom we lend. She also taught us to set aside some ‘white money for black days’ and also not to expect anything back once we help someone in distress. With money we should be careful not to lend again to whoever did not honor their previous debt. All those still sound like sound principles today.

And then there was my father. His parents I never met, as they died when he was a kid. He is quite an enigmatic person for me, partially because I had little time to get to know him. He only walked next to us until I was around 14, then he went on taking care of his family from a different level… He was quite stubborn. For example he never wanted to join the Communist Party even thou was required for his job (they never fired him however, as he was good in his job…). I remember his sense of humor but also his quick temper, his art of story-telling, his passion for food and wines, and his poetry – everything in his life seemed to be as big as his heart.

And of course there are also my uncles and aunts, cousins and nephews, all with their own stories and their own personal and family virtues and flaws, all of them starting from the two grandparents who were so close to getting killed in the war but they managed to survive and smile upon their future with hope.

I got here from exceptional parents, who went through failed marriages and surfed through tough communist time in a wise manner (probably we would call it ‘zen’ nowadays), managing to create and harness a happy and self-protective family oasis.

Why did I tell you this story? Because when I came back to my current home after that week-end, on the way from the train to my apartment (which is cca. 15 mins. walk) the rain started. We are experiencing quite a hot summer in Vienna this year, with evening rain quite often lately, coming from almost clear sky, without any warning and without an attached estimate of how long it will last or how heavy it will get. On that rainy Sunday night I looked around me and I saw people hiding from the rain, running and looking for shelter. And I thought of my grandfather crossing between the two enemy lines during the war. I do not know if it was raining that day or week or month… I also do not know for how long he had to run and hide and keep on running until he got ‘home’. I just knew that I am 15 minutes away from my home and that I know where that is and how to get there. And yes, it was raining and the wind was blowing and I was basically freezing after the hot weekend which I left behind on a distant airport just a couple of hours ago. So I looked up to the sky, smiled to my grandfather and started to walk through the heavy rain. I got completely wet and took a dive straight in the bath tub when I got home, appreciating the fact that everything was safe and familiar.

And then I realized that we perceive the current crisis in accordance with our comfort circle, with our expectation of normality and with our very demanding life standards. And I decided to take a break from the “roots” series and start looking ahead, how we can get out of what seems to be a pessimistic circle. How we can bring the morale back into our life, reasonability back into our expectations, humility and altruism into our attitude.

A friend of mine told me something interesting a couple of years ago. I asked him what he finds most scary in life and he told me (and I apologize to him if my recollection of his words is somehow distorted): ‘the thought of waking up one morning and not being able to watch myself in the mirror because of something I have done’.

This is how I wish to start the “WAYS” series – by inviting all of you to think about your morning mirrors. If you like what you see there, please start tomorrow focused on that. Do not focus too much on the thousands of other mirrors around you, where other people look and see whatever you want them to see or whatever they want to see in you. Just make your own reality and morality check, ask yourself what you would do better today to get a better mirror image when you wake up tomorrow.

That would be all for now. It will certainly not solve the global crisis, but should bring a slightly different perspective on it.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Today Prof. Christos Stremmenos has published a message
re my Interview with Defkalion Green Technologies (Global) see http://www.journal-of-nuclear-physics.com/?p=645&cpage=4#comment-269793. He sends a “errare humanum est, perseverare diabolicum” warning to Defkalion and implicitly to me- given my responsibility for the questions. I am persona non-grata on the JONP blog due to my insistence in asking Andrea Rossi to perform a “perfect experiment” therefore I have to answer here. What I say is entirely my opinion, my DGTG friends have never answered to Rossi’s insults or to Stremmenos’ accusations.
Prof Stremmenos says that he usually does not answer to unreliable statements, however in the case of my interview he makes an exception;

- to defend the dignity of cold fusion- against opportunists; this label being applied to DGTG, which has not demonstrated anything. The problem is simple- DGTG will demonstrate the Hyperions commercially- the reputation of CF will be saved, in the contrary case Rossi will be the unique known potential savior of CF. As regarding Rossi he has done a lot both to improve and to destroy the reputation of the field.

- my first question, probably subversive: “WHEN WAS YOUR COMPANY ESTABLISHED AND WITH WHAT PURPOSE?”. Actually he is right, I had to ask; “HOW AND WHEN HAS YOUR COMPANY DEFINED ITS MISSION, VISION, STRATEGY, VALUES? This has happened obviously after an emergency situation caused by the divorce from Rossi, when very tough decisions were made for the company in order to survive.
In 9 cases from 10 (managers) after the divorce Defkalion would have been disappeared for ever, but Xanthoulis is a problem solver and the team is very good. And fast.
After this, Prof Stremmenos tells a long and complex story based on politics and history. The omission from this saga of the work of Francesco Piantelli who has discovered, developed and explained Ni-H LENR and in whose lab the majority of successful tests were done is an error, euphemistically speaking.
The importance of Rossi’s discovery cannot be denied- he really has added new dimensions to LENR. But what had to follow- the conversion of excess heat in a reliable energy source is a task of high class engineering. The technological immaturity of Rossi’s many kinds of E-cats has caused many problems and has very probable contributed to the divorce. The explanation based on purely (dirtily) financial causes lacks credibility- why should the Greeks commit managerial suicide and lose the business of the Century? The audiatur et altera pars does not work here because
DGT seems to have a great respect for Rossi’s invention and
Stremmenos’s personality- they don’t speak.
Monopolies are always destructive and dangerous. I dare to consider that it is a blessing for LENR and for humanity that Rossi has competition.
Goddess of Cold Fusion- let the better and faster win! The market
is infinite.
Peter